


Paris in New York

by kakotheres



Series: Just Write! Fluff Bingo 2019 [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: Fluff, Holiday, M/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 18:36:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19836163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kakotheres/pseuds/kakotheres
Summary: Kurt plans a surprise day for Sebastian in honor of 14 July (aka Bastille Day)





	Paris in New York

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Just Write! Discord server, Fluff Bingo 2019.  
> Prompt: Holidays

Sebastian woke slowly, his eyes aching and crusty with too little sleep. His last exam period had been brutal, leaving very little time for rest. At least now it was over, and he could take a few days to recover. Taking in a deep breath, he could smell a hint of roasted coffee floating through the air from the kitchen. Kurt must already be awake. Sebastian groaned as he rolled over and flung an arm out into the area that Kurt usually occupied. He loved his boyfriend, no doubt about it, but seriously the man was way too much of a morning person. 

Accepting the inevitable, Sebastian swung his legs over the side of the bed and rose, stretching his arms above his head. As much as he would love to just laze about in bed all day, there was no way that was going to happen. Guess it was time to see what Kurt was up to. Hopefully there would still be some coffee left – depending on how early Kurt had started the day. He opened the door to the bedroom and blinked as the bright light assaulted his eyes. 

The sight that greeted him when he walked into the kitchen brought a gentle smile to his face. Kurt was dancing around and humming while he pulled things out of the fridge. The tune sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. Probably something Kurt was working on with Elliott and Dani. Between work and school, it had been too long since Sebastian had gotten the chance to see the band perform, or even just practice. He would have to rectify that soon. 

“Morning, babe.” Sebastian walked over to the coffee pot, brushing a kiss to the back of Kurt’s head as he passed him. “How long have you been up?”

“Not long. Help yourself – I put breakfast out on the table.”

Grabbing his cup, Sebastian wandered over to the kitchen table and sat down. In front of him a baguette had been cut up into pieces, with an assortment of jams and honey next to it. 

Sebastian picked up one of the jars and read the label as Kurt made his way to the chair next to him. “Huh, I didn’t think you could even get this brand in the States.”

“Yeah, I picked it up special. Can’t properly celebrate the day without all the right cultural bits!”

“What are we celebrating?” Sebastian raised a brow.

“Don’t you know what day it is?”

Sebastian snorted. “Honestly, I’m barely sure what month it is. Law school has been kicking my ass.”

Kurt grimaced. “I know. Hopefully you’ll get a bit of a break now with Contract Law finally out of the way?”

“Hopefully. We’ll see. Ok, seriously though, answer my question. What are we celebrating? I can’t think of anything particularly special.”

“What, no panic over possibly missing an anniversary? I’m hurt.” Kurt grinned.

“Nope. I wouldn’t forget those. I’ve put alerts in my calendar and everything – don’t want to miss the important things.”

Sebastian paused, seeing the look on Kurt’s face. It was the look he always had when Sebastian managed to surprise him with some unexpected consideration. He hated that look. It never came out when Sebastian made big, grand romantic actions – only when he acted in a way that was just normal, human thoughtfulness. But for Kurt, it was surprising and unexpected. That look reminded him that Kurt had accepted some pretty shitty relationships in his life. Seriously, someone thinking Sebastian was thoughtful and romantic had a low bar. That was fine for most people, but Kurt should expect more. He deserved more.

“Ok, you’re right. You didn’t forget any important birthdays, anniversaries, or Broadway show openings. But I have big plans for us today because it’s a holiday!”

Holiday? Sebastian pressed a button on his phone and checked the date. 14 July blinked up at him. He looked back at Kurt, who was sitting on the edge of his seat bouncing.

“It’s Bastille Day! I know it’s not an American holiday or anything, but I thought maybe we could do like a ‘Paris in New York’ kind of a thing. I know you miss France so much. And I wish I could take you back there or something, but there’s no way I could swing that. Financially or schedule-wise. So this, I thought, might be the next best thing?” Kurt paused for a second. “But, I mean, if you’re not in the mood to that’s fine. And maybe it’s too personal and bad memories or something but I thought it was something we could do together. If you don’t want to, we definitely don’t have to…”

“Babe.” As he had been rambling, Kurt’s posture had become more and more hunched over. His fingers were fiddling with the piece of bread he’d put on his plate, shredding it into tiny pieces. Sebastian felt his lips quirk up in a half-smile. “Stop destroying good French bread, that’s a crime amongst my people.” 

Kurt set the bread down with a slight chuckle. “Right.” He made eye contact with Sebastian. “So, I made a plan for today if you’re interested. Like I said – Paris, New York style. If you want?”

“I’m game. You know I’m always up for spending a day with you, whenever we can manage it.” Sebastian reached over and ran his hand gently down the side of Kurt’s face, letting his fingers slip gently through Kurt’s hair. Pulling slightly, he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Kurt’s lips. Sitting back, he released Kurt’s face and picked up a piece of bread to put on his plate. “Now come on, let’s not ruin breakfast with feelings and shit. Tell me how your meeting with Isabelle went yesterday – did any decisions get made?”

“You’re such a romantic. I don’t even know why I like you. But yeah, it went really well! Well, at first it was a bit chaotic…”

Sebastian picked up his cup and gently sipped at his coffee as Kurt launched into a story about Isabelle, Chase, and…a ferret? He sat back in his chair and let Kurt’s voice wash over him.

Damn, he loved this man.

*******

The weather was unusually pleasant for July. A few late-night thunderstorms had broken the oppressive humidity, and the remaining cloud cover kept the sun from being unbearable. Central park was only a thirty-minute walk from Sebastian’s apartment in the East Village. The nearness to the park was one of the reasons that he had settled on the area. Being able to study in the closest thing to nature that NYC offered was a distinct perk.

“You know, I’ve never actually been to this part of the park before,” Kurt commented. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah? Bastille Day seems as good a time as any to check it out. I love walking through here – it’s peaceful.”

All around them was the beautifully manicured landscape of the Conservatory Gardens. The area that they were currently strolling through was inspired by the French Garden style. The holly trees stretched out on both sides of them. Even though it wasn’t the season for the flowers to be at their most magnificent, it was still an impressive landscape. Sebastian sometimes forgot how loud NYC was, but walking through the gardens threw it into sharp relief. 

“I still can’t believe I’m actually here. It just seems so unreal.”

Sebastian looked over at Kurt. “Here like…in these gardens? Or what?”

“Here as in…all of it. I always dreamed about stuff like this…walking through Central Park, studying fashion, living in New York…” He glanced at Sebastian. “Having a hot boyfriend…”

Sebastian flashed a grin at him.

“But even though I dreamed of it, I really never thought I’d make it here. Things were so tough for so long.”

Sebastian reached over and gently took Kurt’s hand, pulling him in closer to his side. “But you are here. And you’re killing it.” He brought their clasped hands up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss onto Kurt’s skin.

They walked along in companionable silence for a bit, each lost in their own thoughts. This was one of the things that had most surprised Sebastian about being in a relationship with Kurt. When it was just the two of them, Kurt rarely felt the need to fill the time with talking or noise. He talked when he had something to say, but he was perfectly happy with the silence that Sebastian often craved.

“So,” Sebastian eventually began, breaking the silence. “It’s obviously very important that you, as an American, get a proper education on French holidays. It’s lucky that you have me here, to make sure that you get a proper education.”

“Oh, yes? Please, enlighten me. What is Bastille day all about, my astute Frenchman? I’m waiting with bated breath.”

“Bastille Day, or _la Fête nationale_ as it’s properly called, is all about drunken celebrations and revelry. A great party scene. Being a hooligan in the streets.”

“I thought it was about freedom of intellectual thought and overthrowing the monarchy? Ending feudalism? Something about political prisoners?”

“Nope, that’s just what the boring old history people want you to think.”

“Bas, you’re a boring old history person. Don’t forget I’ve seen you choose reading for fun – _SPRQ: A History of Ancient Rome_ ring a bell?”

“Well, that’s why you should listen to me then! I’m an expert on history and traditions, and the history and tradition of Bastille Day is a giant, French party.”

“You’re absolutely ridiculous.” Kurt rolled his eyes as he said it, the corners of his eyes crinkled from his wide grin.

“But you still love me.”

“I do.”

*******

“Ok, but seriously – how did no one know that they had a _Michelangelo?!?_ Were they all just sitting around thinking ‘hmm, this sculpture seems nice, some nice young art kid from RISD must have dropped it off at some point’? It’s insane!”

“I think it was just sitting in a room getting dusty. No one even knew that they had a sculpture, let alone who made it.”

“That’s worse! How do you have so many rooms in a building that you can lose a giant freaking statue?”

Sebastian laughed. “Welcome to New York and wealth, baby!”

They were exiting the Albertine Library after having spent a few hours wandering through the bookshelves and looking at the beautifully maintained architecture. Kurt had been absolutely captivated by the blues and golds of the celestial ceiling. He had pulled out his sketchbook, jotting down a few ideas and inspirations for future designs. They had had the place mostly to themselves, with only a few scattered people wandering through the shelves. The Albertine was one of Sebastian’s favorite places in all of NYC. It was refreshing to be able to sift through the various French titles, reminding him of school days in Paris. He’d lived in the US for years now, and still he missed hearing the music of the French language floating around him. The sound itself was poetry that soothed something deep in his soul. Comforting, in a way that the harshness of English could never be for him. Home.

And the beautiful, bright, quick-witted, sarcastic, insecure, gentle boy beside him seemed to understand that in a way that no one else ever had.

Sebastian stopped on the sidewalk and grabbed Kurt’s hand, swinging it between them. “Thank you, babe.”

Kurt looked up at Sebastian. “Thanks? For what?”

“For knowing me…for knowing that this was important to me even when I didn’t really know it myself. I forget sometimes, how much I miss home. Today has been…fantastic.”

Kurt smiled softly. “I’m glad. Someday you’ll have to show me the real thing.”

“Definitely. I’d love to show you Paris.” They stood in intimate silence for a moment, hands swaying gently between them, still clasped. Eventually, Sebastian spoke again. “So, what’s the rest of the plan, oh mighty tour guide?” 

“I made reservations at Beaubourg for dinner – Le District apparently does music and dancing in honor of the holiday. Unfortunately, there probably won’t be any fireworks – pretty sure the city used most of those up to celebrate the whole ‘kicking England’s ass’ thing on the 4th. Apparently, we only do so much when it comes to celebrating French holidays here in America.”

“Very rude, considering we were critical in that whole Revolutionary War thing you guys are always going on about.”

Kurt elbowed him. “Shut up. As I was saying, I don’t think the city is going to provide us with any fireworks tonight.”

Sebastian grinned at him. “You know, Hummel, somehow I think we can find a way to make some fireworks happen.” Kurt slapped Sebastian gently on his arm, grumbling about ‘turning everything into sex’, but he didn’t resist as Sebastian wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him in. Sebastian looked down into his eyes. “You’re amazing, you know that? You put so much thought into this, even though I’ve been so busy recently and I know I haven’t made as much time for you as I should have.”

Kurt lifted his hand to Sebastian’s face and rested his palm gently on his cheek. “It’s alright. I’m not worried about us, you know. Sometimes we get busy. It happens. Who you are is enough for me, Bas. Always.”

Sebastian curled his hand around the back of Kurt’s neck and kissed him deeply. They broke apart after a few seconds but stayed close, foreheads resting against each other.

“Happy Bastille Day, Sebastian.”


End file.
